


Three out of Four

by AmericanPi



Category: Tennis RPF
Genre: Funny, Gen, U.S. Open, U.S. Open 2015, WTA, serena is so sassy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6337456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmericanPi/pseuds/AmericanPi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roberta Vinci still couldn't believe that she had beaten Serena freaking Williams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three out of Four

Roberta Vinci still couldn't believe that she had beaten _Serena freaking Williams_.

The locker room was quiet and empty. The match and the interviews were over, but Roberta still felt like she was in a dream. Had she really defeated the great Serena Williams, the top-ranked woman in the tennis world? Every source said that yes, the unthinkable had happened - Serena Williams, in her quest to win _the_  Grand Slam, had lost to an unseeded Italian in the semifinals of the 2015 U.S. Open.

Roberta was sitting on a bench in the empty locker room, slowly drinking water as she tried to figure out how she was feeling. She had defeated Serena freaking Williams! She was into the final! She should be feeling exhilarated and proud of herself, and she definitely _was_ feeling that. This was the best day of her life.

At the same time, however, Roberta felt a bit guilty. She sighed as she stood up, walking towards the locker room exit. Roberta had beaten Serena fair and square, but… Serena didn't deserve this. The greatest tennis player of all time - well, arguably - fully deserved to win the 2015 U.S. Open, and the Grand Slam. What had happened was strange, almost supernatural. Serena had been doing so well all year. Maybe today there was something wrong…

Roberta was so deep in thought that she almost walked right past Serena Williams herself, who was sitting hunched over on a bench. Roberta stopped short. Serena looked so miserable - and it made sense. The American was very close to winning the biggest prize in tennis, and had fallen short. And it was Roberta's fault…

"Ms. Williams, I'm sorry," Roberta blurted out. Serena looked up from her phone as Roberta continued speaking, the apologies tumbling out. "You should have won. You deserved to win the whole tournament, and the Grand Slam. Today was totally my day, and I'm glad I won, but man, you don't deserve what's happened to you. So-"

The American held up a hand. "Whoa," she said, a faint smile appearing on her face. "First of all, please don't call me 'Ms. Williams', because, for God's sake, it makes me sound prissy." She put away her phone and looked up at Roberta. "And honestly, Roberta, don't you _ever_ feel bad about yourself when you win fair and square. It's all part of the game."

"You're not mad about losing?" Roberta asked, surprised.

"Of course I'm upset," Serena snapped. "Let's face it, this was one hell of an upset, and I picked the _wrong_ time to have a bad day." Her features softened when she saw that Roberta was taken aback, and she added, "But I'll get over this sooner or later. This is life, and stuff happens." Serena sighed and took a drink of water. "I'll just have to deal with this in one way or another. Besides, it wasn't your fault. I just let my bad day get to me."

Roberta nodded in understanding. There were a few moments of silence, and then Roberta spoke up again.

"Ms. Williams-"

"Serena."

"Serena, I just want you to know that whatever happens, I really respect you," Roberta said. "You're a very good tennis player who will probably go down in history as one of the greats." She smiled. "That was a good match though, wasn't it?"

Serena nodded. "You played well," she said sincerely. "And Roberta, thanks for your kind words. Really. They'll be a great help as I… well… recover from all this."

"You're not going to retire now, are you?" Roberta blurted out.

"Oh, hell no," Serena said, laughing. "After I get back on my feet, I still got that Grand Slam to win."

Roberta nodded. "I'll be rooting for you," she said. And she meant it.


End file.
